aging parents

Hospital Dreams

Posted on 05/13/2011 by Amy Goyer | Aging, Home & Family Expert | Comments

Caregiving | RelationshipsShe looks so pale and frail lying in that bed with the blankets tucked up around her shoulders so only her sweet face pops out. Five or more enormous bruises on her arms are nagging reminders of the multiple IV’s (both failed and successful) she’s had over the past week, but they are hidden now under the butter-cream cotton blankets – once comforting, fresh out of the blanket warmer, but now cold and impersonal like everything else in this hospital. …

Feeding Jackson

Posted on 05/12/2011 by Amy Goyer | Aging, Home & Family Expert | Comments

Caregiving | RelationshipsMy Dad has always had a way with animals. When he was a kid, he always wanted a dog but his mother worked and wouldn’t allow it. When he and Mom married, they brought their first dog into the family, and ever since then we’ve almost always had at least one four-legged family member…including dogs, cats, horses, cows – oh and the chickens. Dad could hold those Banty chickens in his arms and pet them like cats. I found Jackson, a “Schnoodle,” …

Caregiving: My Story

Posted on 05/11/2011 by Amy Goyer | Aging, Home & Family Expert | Comments

Caregiving | RelationshipsI find myself on yet another plane heading back to Arizona from a business trip to Washington, DC with trepidation and a tight feeling in my heart; very concerned about in what condition I’ll find my parents. They have both been ill with gastro-intestinal issues for months; my mom has been in acute distress for over six weeks now. That’s 6 weeks and: – 4 doctor appointments – numerous phone calls to doctors (I find myself begging and pleading for …

Elder Mediation Helps Quarreling Siblings Find Middle Ground

Posted on 09/21/2010 by Correy Robertson | Archived Contributor | Comments

Your LifeAs much as you may love your sibling(s), issues involving your aging parents often lead to arguments — and even sometimes serious altercations within the family. Check out AARP’s article on a new form of family problem-solving, elder mediation, that helps siblings see eye to eye when trying to figure out what’s best for their parents: At an impasse, the family turned to elder mediation. In this fast-growing field, a trained, neutral conflict-resolution professional–sometimes an attorney or therapist–meets with adult …

A few things to check out…

Posted on 07/23/2010 by Correy Robertson | Archived Contributor | Comments

Home & FamilyIn case you missed it yesterday, Elinor Ginzler, AARP Senior Vice President for Livable Communities, participated in a live chat on the Washington Post’s website, answering questions all about the financial and emotional costs of caring for elderly parents. Ginzler joined Paula Span, co-author of “When the Time Comes: Families With Aging Parents Share Their Struggles And Solutions,” the Washington Post’s Michelle Singletary in answering several reader questions about how to handle this important, and often times tough, situation. You …

Caregiving in the News

Posted on 05/17/2010 by Correy Robertson | Archived Contributor | Comments

Your LifeAccording to this very personal article from Michelle Singletary at the Washington Post, “by 2020, 12 million older Americans will need long-term care. And when they need that care, they will realize that they and the caregivers they will have to lean on are woefully unprepared for the cost.” We already know caregiving is an increasingly widespread extra job for Americans, with the Caregiving in the U.S. 2009 study revealing that 29 percent of the U.S. adult population, or 65.7 …